Citroën Racing
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Predecessor | Citroën Sport, Citroën Compétitions |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founder | René Cotton |
| Headquarters | France , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Pierre Budar (team principal as of 2018), Yves Matton (former team principal) |
| Products | Rally cars, racing cars, motorsport support and parts |
| Owner | Stellantis NV |
| Parent | Stellantis Motorsport |
Citroën Racing represents the competitive motorsport branch of the French car manufacturer Automobiles Citroën, which is fully owned by Stellantis NV. The division rose to fame through its participation in the Citroën World Rally Team within the World Rally Championship until 2019, significantly contributing to the achievements of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, who remain the most decorated duo in the championship’s history.
As of January 2023, Citroën Racing's primary activities include producing the C3 Rally2 vehicle and supplying parts for both its current lineup and historic models. Although it has ceased direct competition, the brand continues to support private teams competing with the C3 model. Official merchandise is available through the Peugeot Citroën Racing Shop.
Within Stellantis Motorsport, Citroën Racing functions alongside other performance and racing divisions under the Stellantis corporate umbrella.
History
The entity now known as Citroën Racing was formerly called Citroën Compétitions and later Citroën Sport.
Citroën Compétitions
The origins of Citroën’s motorsport efforts trace back to 1960 when René Cotton, who managed the victorious 1959 Monte Carlo Rally team, was assigned to boost Citroën’s rally involvement. The manufacturer officially launched its racing division in 1965. Following Cotton’s passing in 1971, his wife Marlène, who had been closely involved in his work, assumed leadership, carrying forward his commercial and sporting vision. Due to financial constraints and the energy crises of the 1970s, Citroën reduced its motorsport commitments during that period.
In 1980, former FFSA executive secretary Guy Verrier was appointed to create a World Rally Championship vehicle and assemble a team, resulting in the Group B Visa and BX 4TC. However, Citroën exited the championship prematurely in 1986 to focus on refining the BX 4TC. This coincided with FISA president Jean-Marie Ballestre’s decision to ban Group B cars after that season, bringing an end to this chapter. It is notable that Verrier had unsuccessfully contested Ballestre for FFSA leadership in 1984.
Citroën Sport
Formed in 1989 under former rally co-driver Guy Fréquelin, Citroën Sport initially concentrated on Rally-Raid events using the Citroën ZX, achieving four victories at the Paris-Dakar Rally. Prominent drivers included Ari Vatanen and Jacky Ickx.
During the 1990s, focus shifted toward the World Rally Championship (WRC), where Citroën competed with the two-wheel-drive Xsara Kit Car in the 2-Litre World Rally Cup category. Although no overall championship titles were secured, drivers like Philippe Bugalski and Jean-Paul Chiaroni achieved outright wins at the 1999 Rally Catalunya and Tour de Corse, surpassing more powerful four-wheel-drive WRC vehicles. These results influenced the FIA’s decision to replace this class with Super 1600 cars starting in 2001. Subsequently, Citroën Sport entered the Super 1600 Championship with the Saxo VTS model, where Sébastien Loeb claimed the drivers’ championship.
The Xsara evolved into the Citroën Xsara WRC, which debuted selectively in WRC events during 2001. Jesús Puras secured victory at that year’s Tour de Corse. Initially reluctant to compete head-to-head with Peugeot, PSA eventually authorized Citroën’s entry into the Manufacturers' Championship in 2003. The Citroën Total World Rally Team clinched that year’s title ahead of Peugeot and four other competitors, repeating this feat in both 2004 and 2005 before Peugeot withdrew from the series.
In 2006, Citroën partially withdrew by appointing Kronos Racing to represent them while developing their new C4 WRC vehicle. The team returned fully in 2007 with the C4 model and dominated from 2008 through 2012 by securing consecutive manufacturers' championships.
After Fréquelin retired in 2007, Olivier Quesnel took over management. In 2009, Citroën launched the Citroën Junior Team aimed at developing emerging talents and supporting customer drivers such as Sébastien Ogier, Conrad Rautenbach, and Kimi Räikkönen.
Citroën Racing
In 2009, Citroën Sport underwent a rebranding that aligned with the relaunch of the DS sub-brand, which subsequently became the foundation for its rally vehicles. The C4 WRC was succeeded by the Citroën DS3 WRC in 2011, a model that helped secure consecutive WRC manufacturer championships in 2011 and 2012. Following the 2011 season, Yves Matton took over from Quesnel as Team Principal.
By 2013, Citroën’s lineup of rally cars had expanded to include models in the WRC, RRC, R5, R3T, R2, and R1 categories. Notably, former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica clinched the WRC2 Championship behind the wheel of a Citroën DS3 Regional Rally Car prepared by PH Sport. Additionally, Sébastien Chardonnet secured the WRC3 title driving a DS3 R3T.
In 2014, Citroën acquired a three-year FIA contract to manage the Junior WRC series, providing and maintaining DS3 R3T vehicles for competitors. That same year marked Citroën’s debut in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), where they dominated by capturing both manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships from 2014 through 2016 with drivers José María López, Sébastien Loeb, and Yvan Muller. The WTCC program concluded after 2016 to allow a renewed focus on the World Rally Championship.
The World Rally Team paused its full participation in 2016 to concentrate on developing the Citroën C3 WRC for the 2017 season but still competed in most rallies under the Abu Dhabi Total WRT banner without earning manufacturer points. When Yves Matton was appointed FIA Rally Director in 2018, Pierre Budar succeeded him as team principal.
The introduction of the new World Rally Car regulations saw the C3 struggle significantly, finishing at the bottom of the manufacturers’ standings in both 2017 and 2018. Kris Meeke was released mid-2018 due to safety-related concerns. The team rebounded to third place in 2019 after signing six-time world champion Sébastien Ogier; however, Ogier departed after one year citing inconsistent performance amid frequent mechanical failures. Following a critical mechanical issue that cost Ogier the championship, his wife publicly criticized Citroën’s management. Prior to the launch of hybrid Rally1 regulations in 2022, Citroën Racing exited the WRC program, citing an inability to secure a top-tier driver for 2020.
In 2019, Citroën participated in the WRC2 Pro Championship with a single entrant, Mads Østberg; the team concluded the season third among manufacturers. Since 2020, Citroën has not competed directly at international motorsport events but has supported drivers such as Østberg, Yohan Rossel, Stéphane Lefebvre, and Alejandro Cachón through collaborations with rally teams including Saintéloc Racing, PH Sport, DG Sport, and Sports & You.
Rally Raid
In Rally raid, Citroën Sport’s ZX Rallye Raid dominated by winning five consecutive Constructors’ titles in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies from 1993 through 1997. During this era, drivers Pierre Lartigue and Ari Vatanen secured championship victories for the brand. In 1997, Citroën Sport withdrew from rally raid competition to focus efforts on rally and racing cars such as the Saxo and Xsara models.
The ZX Rallye Raid claimed four triumphs at the Paris–Dakar Rally along with two wins at the Paris–Moscow–Beijing Rally. Additionally, Citroën achieved victories at the Pharaons Rally in 1991 and at Tunisia’s rally event in 1992.
Group 5
Group B
Group A
World Rally Car
Group R
- C3 R5/Rally2
- DS3 R5
- C3 Rally2 Kit (kit only)
- DS3 R3T
- C2 R2
- DS3 R1
Super 1600
Rally-Raid
Touring Cars
Racecars
| Year | Model | Image | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Citroën SM | Group 5 | ||
| 1982 | Citroën Visa Chrono II | Group B | ||
| Citroën Visa Trophée | Group B | |||
| 1984 | Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes | Group B | ||
| 1986 | Citroën BX 4TC | Group B | ||
| 1991 | Citroën ZX Rallye Raid | Rally-raid | ||
| 1997 | Citroën Saxo Kit Car | Formula 2 Kit Car | ||
| 1998 | Citroën Xsara Kit Car | Formula 2 Kit Car | ||
| 2001 | Citroën Xsara WRC | WRC | ||
| 2004 | Citroën C2 S1600 | Super 1600 | ||
| 2007 | Citroën C4 WRC | WRC | ||
| 2008 | Citroën C2 R2 | (Group R2) | ||
| 2011 | Citroën DS3 WRC | WRC | ||
| 2012 | Citroën DS3 | (Group R1) | ||
| 2013 | Citroën DS3 R3T | (Group R3) | ||
| 2014 | Citroën C-Elysée WTCC | Super 2000 | ||
| Citroën DS3 R5 | Group Rally2 | |||
| 2017 | Citroën C3 WRC | (WRC) | ||
| 2018 | Citroën C3 Rally2 | Group Rally2 |